Downtown Lowdown

{Downtown Lowdown is written and photographed by Jamie Manser, jamie@downtowntucson.org}

New Downtown Businesses

Rachel’s Downtown Market

When you walk into the lobby of The Pioneer Building at 100 N. Stone, flowers and Rachel Yaseen’s friendly face will be the first things to greet you. Rachel’s Market moved into the lobby in the beginning of May. Yaseen said the idea to set up in the lobby was real estate agent Buzz Isaacson’s and she said she was initially a bit skeptical. “I thought ‘It’s kind of weird having a store in the lobby,’ but it’s the best. Look at my view!”

Rachel’s Market abuts the north wall of the lobby and the two refrigerated display cases face the south. Her view is of Stone Avenue and the library’s lawn.

Choosing a downtown location was a no-brainer for Yaseen.

“My husband works downtown, we live down here and we wanted fresh food,” she explained. “We never considered it would be anywhere else but downtown.”

Rachel’s Market is a cornucopia of fresh fruit and produce. Her cheese and salami are imported from Europe; the olives are flown in from New York, the nuts are from Green Valley, Viro’s Bakery supplies the bread and she also sells wine from all over the world. Sandwiches, snacks and gift baskets are also available.

The market, for now, is open Monday-Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. so “people can come by after work to pick up stuff.” You can call 882-0808 for more information.

Bevins Guitar

Musician and guitar repairman John Bevins envisions his foray into owning a business as being a “one stop music store,” located at 216 E. Congress.

“I want to create the type of music store I would want to go to. Some place where you don’t feel pressured. A relaxed environment with knowledgeable staff, and, most importantly, good service, good equipment and fair prices,” Bevins explained.

Bevins plans on offering consignment, but the crux of the store is to repair guitars. When you walk into the shop – which is outfitted 50’s retro – the first thing you see is the repair workspace Bevins himself built.

“I’m a certified repairman, I have actual certificates, so I wanted to build a good, professional space. I wanted it up front to have the personal touch. When they come in, I can ask the kind of questions that allow me to do more personalized work,” he said. “Asking questions like, what kind of style do you play in? Are you a finger picker or a flat picker? How often do you travel with the instrument? I do this to make sure the work gets done exactly the way they had it pictured.”

Bevins also plans to periodically host live bands and ultimately have a studio in the basement. He will also be supporting local art, “all the stuff on the walls will be local artists.” Currently Cake has her painted records up, Tom Walbanks’ art adorns the walls, and Bevins plans to showcase Shauna Zimmerman.

Bevins Guitar is open Tuesday-Saturday from 10ish-6ish. Call 624-9001 for details.

Fireblood Piercing

Body modification specialist Chris Glunt runs a tight ship at 27 N. Scott Avenue.

“I take every measure possible to keep everything sterile,” said the recent arrival from Houston. “I have an air purifier, I use germicidal solutions that do much more than alcohol. I use a surgical preparation solution that keeps the area clean for six hours. I only work on people on a stainless steel table and I wear a surgical mask.”

“I clean before and after a piercing and I mop the floors both day and night,” Glunt added.

Glunt moved to Tucson in February and said, “It took the three months out here to find the space. I had a list of 30 lease spaces and this is the only place that would lease to me.”

Glunt said the potential landlords were wary of the “element of people” a piercing store could potentially bring. But, according to Glunt, the stigmas are less and less reflective of the reality of who his customers are. “This isn’t just for kids running around and hanging out,” he stressed. “People running Fortune 500 companies have piercings that most people would never (consider getting).”

Beyond piercing, Glunt also can do scarification and suspension. He has been doing piercing for over two years and said he is “constantly in training. Every six months, new stuff comes out.”

Fireblood Piercing is open during the week from 12:00 noon to 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 noon to 10:00 p.m. on the weekends. Call 237-2661 for more information.
KXCI Update

KXCI members recently elected three new board members to its Board of Directors. The new members are Jim Lipson, Kathleen Williamson and John Jacobs. The non-profit station also recently set a new record during its membership drive. The May pledge drive raised $70,385 from 852 pledges, “a new record for total support,” according to kxci.org. The fundraiser was completed in 267 hours.

Roundabout Out

In a move that has proved to be somewhat controversial, the Armory Park Neighborhood Association voted to remove the roundabout that was situated at the intersection of 4th Avenue and 18th Street. The traffic circle was removed May 12th.
Board member Ken Godat said that he had “personal difficulties from the noise and accidents since the time it was installed, two or so years ago.”

“The neighborhood association had gone through a whole petition for the circle’s installation, but I and my neighbors had not signed it. It was installed at a much larger size, much to our chagrin.”

The 35-foot circle was built in a 40-foot intersection. The city offered to pay for the reduction of the circle, but the association voted to pay for its complete removal. Godat said the board went through a petition process before voting on the circle’s removal and the petition went to residents living within one block in each direction from the intersection.

“Well over 60% of the addresses signed. Only 3 to 4 people who live in that perimeter wanted the circle.” Godat said, “the circle was incredibly ugly, it was very noisy and it created pollution from vehicles stopping and starting. The concept behind the traffic circles is traffic calming, if they see a circle, they avoid the street,” Godat added. “Its functional purpose was to put up a stop sign.”

One resident who was opposed to the circle’s removal was Danté Cox, who lives at the southwest corner of 4th Avenue and 18th Street.

“I’m very uneasy about it (being removed),” she said. “I sit on my porch and watch all the cars speeding by at 40-50 miles per hour. With the circle there, cars were at least forced to slow down.”

Cox, who is a renter, said that she had signed another year lease before the circle was removed.

“I would not have moved in there without the roundabout. I wanted to live in a place that I felt comfortable with my cats being outside. There’s the noise issue (with the circle’s presence), but it’s less safe without it,” she said.
“I’m thinking about keeping my cats inside.”

Death of a (Newspaper) Salesman

Donald Eugene Smith, a downtown fixture for over 20 years, passed away May 2 after fighting pneumonia. Better known as Don to the downtown community, Smith delivered the morning and afternoon newspapers door-to-door to offices and businesses. He “always had a positive attitude and a smile,” said Russ Gillespie of Dizzy G’s.

“Dizzy G’s opened in 1983 and Don had been coming here since then,” Gillespie remembered. “I would get a free paper and Don would get a discount on his lunch,” in exchange for the newspaper.

Andre Cunningham, Tucson Downtown Alliance security supervisor, remembers helping Smith carry his papers from the post office to 100 N. Stone and said that Don “was a real good man, a wonderful man and always a jokester!”

Smith, ironically, was illiterate.

“He had really thick glasses, he could barely see,” explained Gillespie. “He was illiterate because of his eyes and he would ask people to read the headlines. He was very creative and frugal. He supported his family selling papers, which is amazing.

“We will miss him down here.”

Mountain Oyster Club Leaving Downtown

After 55 years of residing in different downtown locations, the Mountain Oyster Club plans to move to the far-east side. The “M.O. Club” has been located at 283 N. Stone since the 1970’s. The new location will be 6400 E. El Dorado Circle, which is close to Speedway and Wilmot.

MTCVB Recognized

The Metropolitan Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau recently won its ninth Pinnacle Award in 12 years, an award that was given to the bureau in recognition of its role as “a destination support organization that provides outstanding client service.” The Pinnacle Award is presented to the nation’s best convention and visitors bureau based on the quality of service they provide.

Warehouse District Rents Frozen Until 2004

On Thursday May 22nd, city officials told tenants of downtown’s Warehouse District (mainly Toole Avenue between Stone and 6th Avenues) of their decision to freeze the rental rates at their current levels through the end of the year. Meeting attendees were also informed of the city’s decision to contract Caylor Construction to do “all future work to repair assets,” as stated in the city’s response to the questions raised during the heated May 1st meeting.

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